pizza dough

Flour, water, salt and yeast are the only ingredients needed to make great pizza dough. When pizza started showing up in New Haven around 1925 the use of those four ingredients merely continued a tradition, brought from Italy, that is still practiced today. The process of turning  those four ingredients into pizza dough, perfecting the process, and repeating it over and over again is in the hands of the pizza maker.

Basic guidelines (Tampa Bay conditions) for 3 hand mixed dough balls (283 grams or 10 oz. each)

525 grams of King Arthur Bread Flour (12.7 % protein)

352 grams cool water (67% hydration)

1/4 tsp (0.7 grams) of Fleischmann’s Instant Dry Yeast

2 ¼ tsp (10.8 grams) Morton Coarse Kosher Salt

Dry mix the salt in the flour and then thoroughly mix in the yeast. Next make a well in the center of the flour to hold the water. Add the water into the well and mix for 4 minutes. I will start mixing with a spoon or a stiff spatula then switch to using my hands. As I rotate the bowl with my left hand I use my right hand to continually fold over the dough. When finished mixing, rest the dough for 20 minutes. After the rest, mix the dough for 3 more minutes. Return the dough to the bench/counter and portion  (3) x 10 ounce dough balls. Place the dough balls in a container (6 cup round with lid) with a small amount of olive oil and cover the dough for about 2 hours at room temperature. Next, refrigerate the dough balls for up to 24 hours (dough comes out fine if made in the morning and refrigerated for most of the day). Remove the dough balls from the fridge and rest at room temperature for 1 to 3 hours then make and bake your pizza. (see “kitchen stove makes an awesome pizza oven”, July 10, 2024)

I try not to get hung up on the terms fermentation and proofing. Fermentation is a longer “rest” and proofing is a shorter “rest”. My takeaway is that fermentation, the longer initial rest, starts after mixing ( kneading etc.). It enables the dough to rest and develop flavor (strength, volume etc.). Proofing (proving) is the final shorter rest to determine that the dough is taking the final steps to ready itself for baking. 

EXAMPLE : place dough in the fridge to rest for 24 hours (fermentation). Next, remove dough from the fridge and let it rest for one hour (proof). 

The dough making  process has not changed much over the years (for traditional pizza and bread) with the exception of a greater reliance on refrigeration for fermentation. Cold resting enables the dough to retard its rising but continues to develop in flavor (strength, volume etc.) and that requires time. Refrigeration enables much longer fermentation times, therefore more flavor, and requires little if any monitoring. It is safer, practically mistake proof and the dough is not affected by weather conditions when in the fridge. Some bread and pizza makers still prefer to ferment their dough at room temperature. Consequently they will use minute amounts of yeast to slow the rise to enable more time for fermentation.

Many pizza makers work on a  24 hour cycle (some  longer, some less). After mixing, either portion and make dough balls or leave the dough in bulk. Next, rest the dough in the fridge for 24 hours. Remove the dough from the fridge and make dough balls, if not done initially. Then rest the dough for 1 to 2 hours depending on environmental conditions. Longer for cold and dry, shorter for hot and humid.

Bulk fermentation is another often talked about subject. It is thought to be advantageous to ferment your dough in one bulk mass as opposed to fermenting individual dough balls. Maybe so. Honestly I have never found any significant difference in using bulk fermentation for added flavor, strength etc. However there is an advantage for many pizza makers to utilize bulk fermentation for operational reasons. Bulk fermentation generally takes less refrigeration space as opposed to stacks of stackable trays (some on wheels) or pans of portioned dough balls.Both methods will produce good dough if worked correctly. What do I do at home.? Probably the same technique that most of you employ.

I prefer to hand mix pizza dough at home. For me it does not seem worthwhile to set up and clean the mixer for the small amounts of flour used and the short mixing time. In addition you get a better understanding of what dough making is all about when mixing  by hand. Next I will portion the dough and make dough balls, rest at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours then cold ferment for up to 24 hours. One final rest after coming out of the fridge for 1 to 2 hours and it is ready to be shaped and stretched.

In a post (see “basics of pizza flour“, August 1, 2024) I delve into flour and in a post (see pizza sauce,less is better,July 10,2024) I give my 2 cents on the salt.. That leaves water and yeast.  Water and yeast can require a post all to themselves. Nevertheless, I use room temperature tap water and Fleischmann’s Instant dry yeast  for my pizza dough.

Instant dry yeast has a longer shelf life, requires no rehydration in warm water,absorbs water more readily and ferments faster than active dry yeast. It is simply mixed in with the dry ingredients and is more stable and convenient to use than other types of yeast. I have never had instant dry yeast go bad or fail to work in a bake. Available in stores everywhere.

Fresh yeast has a very short shelf life (one to maybe 2 weeks) and.should be dissolved in warm water before being added to the dry ingredients, mostly to prove (proof) that it will work.  It requires more care in handling and can be difficult to find in local stores. It does depart a very subtle flavor to the dough that some people find aggreable.

Water is a much discussed issue. A lot depends on your source. My city water tastes fine plus it is filtered before it enters the house. The water temperature coming from the tap varies a few degrees higher or lower than room temperature and is what I use for pizza dough. I don’t believe in any of the “it’s the water” theories that determine the outcome for a good bake. Just don’t use bad water and employ proper technique and good pizza will follow.

My finished pies measure 12 to13 inches in diameter and my dough balls weigh in at exactly 10 ounces (283 grams) to produce a thin crust. When stretching the dough I avoid making a ridge and  keep the dough uniformly flat with a thin and narrow rim (cornicione). I will try and run any ingredients, sauce etc. close to the edge of the pie. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this post

Better pizzamaking

Jimmy

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